I LOVE a Black & White cookie. It’s like eating a handheld cake with the best of vanilla and chocolate.

Recently I’ve gotten into babka. I love a morning lingering over my coffee and slice of any flavor Babka. Once you have the method down you can play around with your filling and toppings.

Now  won’t say I’m above eating a black and white for breakfast, but why not combine two of my favorites? Thanks to Melissa Clark for the Glaze recipe. The babka itself is an original recipe created from lots of research. Enjoy!

Let me know what you think and what other flavors we should try.

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Black & White Babka

I am a big fan of Melissa Clark's Black & White Cookie recipe. I was inspired to use her white glaze on a sweet chocolate babka.

Course: Beginnings, Endings, Everything Else

Cuisine: Jewish

Keyword: Babka, cake, chocolate

Servings: 12 slices or more

Ingredients

Dough

• 3/4 cup Whole Milk, warmed. It should be warm to the touch but not hot.
• 1 pkg. Active Dry Yeast
• 3 cups All-Purpose or Bread Flour
• 3 Tbs. Granulated White Sugar, plus 1 tsp., for yeast
• 1-1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
• 3 Lg. Eggs
• 4 Tbs. Unsalted Butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Filling

• 1/2 cup Granulated White Sugar
• 3/4 cup Heavy Cream
• 6 ounces Milk Chocolate (35-55% cacao) coarsely chopped
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 5 Tbs. Unsalted Butter

Streusel (optional)

• 1/4 cup Dark Brown Sugar
• 1/4 cup All-purpose Flour
• 2 Tbs. Unsalted Butter, melted
• 1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt
• 1/3 cup Milk Chocolate Chips, I like to chop them to make them smaller

Glaze

• 2-1/2 cups Confectioners Sugar
• 3-6 Tbs. Boiling Water
• 1-1/2 Tbs. Light Corn Syrup
• 1-1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• pinch Fine Sea Salt

Instructions

Dough

• Add yeast and teaspoon of sugar to warm milk. Let stand for 5-10 minutes until foamy.

  In the bowl of a standup mixer, fitted with a dough hook, start mixing the flour, sugar and salt. Then add the vanilla.

  Add the yeast mixture and then add the eggs. Keep mixing until dough starts to come together. This takes about 2 minutes. If the dough is too sticky and not coming together, add 1 Tbs. flour at a time until it comes together. Beat well between additions.
• Add half of the room temperature butter and pulse until dough is smooth. Scrape down sides of bowl and add remaining butter. Whip with dough hook for another 5 minutes or so. If the dough is too sticky and not coming together, add 1 Tbs. flour at a time until it comes together. Beat well between additions.

  From here I like to knead by hand. Remove dough from bowl and place on a lightly floured service. Knead by hand until dough is smooth all over and elastic. Form into a ball.
• Lightly butter or oil a clean large bowl and place the dough in bowl. Roll the dough around so that it all gets a little coated with butter or oil.

  Cover with a clean cloth and let it rise in a warm place. I like to heat my oven to 180° and then turn it off.

  Let rise for about 2 hours. You are looking for almost double in volume and that it's puffy.

  Remove towel and punch down dough. Reshape into ball, cover and let rise again for at least 2 hours.

  While the dough is rising the second time, prepare your other components.

  You will need a vanilla syrup. You can make your own, but I use Torani Vanilla Syrup.

Filling

• In a small saucepan, stir together sugar and cream. Bring to a simmer but not a boil.

  In a separate bowl place your chopped chocolate. Pour warm milk sugar mixture over top of chocolate and stir.

  Add in butter and vanilla and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool.

Streusel

• Stir together sugar and flour and salt.

  Stir in melted butter until sugar, flour and salt are combined.

  Toss in chocolate chips. Set aside.

Putting it All Together

• Divide dough in half and cover one half and set aside.

  On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 9x16 rectangle. It will be thin but should still be workable. It does not have to be perfect!

  Spread half the filling, edge to edge, over the rectangle.

  Starting with the long side, roll into a tight roll. Wrap the roll in a dish towel or plastic wrap and freeze for 10 minutes, while you do the other roll.

  While both rolls are chilling, butter 2 9" loaf pans.
• Remove one roll from freezer and unwrap.

  On a lightly floured surface, cut the roll in half lengthwise. Make sure inside is facing up.

  I like to pinch the two pieces together, slightly, at the top. Then twist the pieces over each other, as if it was a twisted braid. I try to keep the filling exposed on top as much as possible.

  Lay roll into prepared loaf pan. It's okay to fold ends under or tuck them in.

  Cover loosely with a dish towel and let rise again for another hour or more.
• Preheat your oven to 350°.

  If you are using streusel, now is the time to sprinkle your streusel over the op. I like to form clumps and then drizzle them over top.

  Place both loaf pans in oven and bake for 40-50 minutes. If you feel like the streusel is starting to burn, cover with a piece of foil.

  Babkas are done when a tester comes our with a few moist crumbs.

  As soon as the babkas are out of the oven, pierce them all over with a skewer of knife. Then pour syrup over top of cake .

  Let cool 10 minutes and remove from pan to rack. Let cool completely, if you can, before you slice and serve.

Glaze

• While the loaves are cooling make your glaze.

  In a medium bowl whisk together confectioners sugar and 3 Tbs. of boiling water.

  Whisk in, corn syrup, vanilla and salt.

  This will be thick but if you need add 1 Tbs. at a time, to desired consistency.

  Pour glaze, generously over cooled loaves